Not all DM testing from all labs is accurate....Be Warned!!!

I want to make it well known that it has come to my attention that there are some breeders guaranteeing DM CLEAR dogs that were tested by laboratories that are not accurate results. When inquiring and willing to pay the prices they offer their pups for it is wise of you to request certification of those test results to verify that infact the tests were done and by only a couple of laboratories. I won't publicly tell you which lab is not creditable, but I will tell you that I had 3 of my offspring tested by this lab and all 3 dogs came back as being DM CLEAR...I knew this was highly unlikely since the dam and sire were DM Carriers and the likely hood that these 3 dogs were clear was just not in my lucky stars but wanted to see how creditable there testing was. I retested all 3 of these dogs through the University of Missouri, which is the only lab that is approved and certified with OFA. All 3 of those dogs came back as DM Carriers. This year the PWCCA at the National Corgi Show offered tests for DM from DDC Laboratories who is another trusted Laboratory but OFA does not certify those results so they will never be published on the OFA database. Whichever lab did the testing, University of MO or DDC, the testing has been approved to be used by the parent club BUT by having testing done by the Univ. of MO, it helps further research...they have a database and are continuing the research on the disease to give us more answers. DDC labs does not. If you are inquiring on a puppy that a breeder claims is DM CLEAR...ask which lab did the testing and then ask for that proof. If they can't support organizations approved by our parent club or use testing of accuracy, then why should you trust anything else they tell you or trust what they are selling?

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on October 18, 2011 at 10:44pm

So.... which lab?

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Permalink Reply by Wendt Worth Corgi's on October 18, 2011 at 11:50pm

Which lab what? I highlighted the creditable labs...I am not announcing the lab that has incorrect testing since I don't want it to be announced for unethical or unreputable breeders. I have both test results in my comp. or easily can get them their and show them to you if you would like to see them.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on October 18, 2011 at 11:59pm

I like to know which lab gave you the incorrect test, thanks, I like to see them.

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Permalink Reply by rebecca marie eschenburg on October 19, 2011 at 1:54pm

that is very interesting, thank u for sharing Wendy. when i get my second corgi, i will of course go through a breeder such as your self but if u are not available (such as retirement) i want to make sure i go through another wonderful breeder such as you as testing for these diseases is very important

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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on October 19, 2011 at 5:04pm

Hmm, very interesting. Is DM autosomal recessive? If so, maybe the irreputable lab gives results to mean "At risk"="can get DM" and "Clear"="cannot get DM". If so, that's a very stupid way of doing things and they should certainly clarify the meanings of their results.

Thank you for letting us know about this. I will keep it in mind for when I search for my next dog.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on October 19, 2011 at 5:41pm

Hi Rachael, yes, DM is autosomal recessive, however, if both parents are DM carriers like Wendy's (A/N), then the chances of DM clear is about 25% (N/N), the other 25% will be at risk (A/A) and the remaining 50% will be carriers (A/N).

A side note: PWCCA and other breed clubs help fund the U of MO research (hence, the support), OFA keeps the record (funded research at U of MO / 10 mins away). DM test has been patented by U of MO, the Broad Institute at Harvard / MIT. (Coates / Toh / Wade / Johnson) Other labs may offer the test, but they are not "verified" or "recognized" by the above because of patent violation, not accuracy.

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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on October 19, 2011 at 6:10pm

Yes, I am aware of this. I was just thinking that the lab in question may be more interested in the phenotype of the dog being tested and not the genotypes of the potential offspring. (Which, again, is stupid...)

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Permalink Reply by Wendt Worth Corgi's on October 20, 2011 at 9:50am

Phenotype is the observable formation of organisms that are made up by the Genotype. The "internally coded, inheritable information", or Genotype, carried by all living organisms, holds the critical instructions that are used and interpreted by the cellular machinary of the cells to produce the "outward, physical manifestation", or Phenotype of the organism.

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Permalink Reply by Wendt Worth Corgi's on October 20, 2011 at 9:53am

A few of us have discussed about retesting several of our dogs that have been tested with U of MO with DDC to check for accuracy BUT will that completely matter??? I am no genius when it comes to all the fine detail of genetics and how it is all test nor recorded but last night I had gotten an email from someone off list and she brought up some very good points. How can one be sure that the results presented on a dog are indeed that dogs results??? Just like faulty paperwork on registrations, whats not to say that a breeder doesn't swab one dogs mouth to have tested to get a better result on another dog? Even if we validate that DDC is testing correctly per the results, do they red flag similarities in sequence and keep a database to keep fraudulent testing at bay? To me this is a step in the laboratories testing that should not be overlooked. I would like to think spit swapping would be minimal but one that we need to try to prevent.

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Permalink Reply by Mollie, Mom of Merlin & Morgana on October 20, 2011 at 10:14am

My fiancee and I are going to have Merlin and Morgana tested for everything, as we are not 100% sure of their health history. We were planning on using U of Missouri anyway, so i am glad to see they are a good one to go through.